1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector. In particular, the present invention relates to an electrical connector that electrically connects a chip module to a circuit board.
2. Description of Related Art
Currently, a typical electrical connector for electrically connecting a chip module to a circuit board usually comprises an insulating body and a plurality of contacts (pins) arranged therein. Conventionally, the insulating body and the contacts are manufactured separately. Thus, a plastic mold is required for manufacturing the insulating body, and a metal forming mold is required for manufacturing the contacts. Then the contacts are plugged into the insulating body by manual labor or by automated machines in the assembly process to complete the electrical connector.
However, said conventional electrical connector has the following drawbacks:
1. Manufacturing cost of the electrical connector tends to increase by the necessity of a plastic mold for the insulating body and a metal forming mold for the contacts.
2. Manufacturing cost of the electrical connector is also increased by too much waste material generated during the forming process of the contacts, as the metal material is very high-priced and there are a large quantity of contacts used for mass production.
3. It takes too much time and labor to plug the contacts into the insulating body as they are separated from each other.
Furthermore, as electronic devices tend to become thinner, smaller, and easier to carry, the insulating body for the electrical connector also needs to be thinner. However, the plastic-made insulating body becomes too easily broken when it gets too thin.